China delivered the second of four powerful Type 054A/P frigates to the Pakistan Navy on Thursday, highlighting the friendship between the two neighboring countries, which serves as a pillar of peace and stability in the region.
The PNS Taimur was commissioned at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, the Global Times learned from the Pakistan Navy on Thursday.
The PNS Taimur is the second of four Type 054 A/P frigates China built for the Pakistan Navy. The first Type 054A/P frigate, the PNS Tughril, joined the Pakistan Navy Fleet in January. The other two are under construction in China.
As a technologically advanced and highly capable sea asset, the PNS Taimur has high-tech weapons and sensors, and the latest combat management and electronic warfare systems to fight in multi-threat environments, according to a press release the Pakistan Navy sent to the Global Times.
The ships will give a sustainable boost to the combat capability of the Pakistan Navy and enable it to meet emerging challenges in the domain of maritime security and regional peace, read the press release.
Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times that the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is China’s most advanced frigate.
The induction of state-of-the-art Type 054 A/P frigates will significantly enhance the Pakistan Navy’s capabilities in strengthening the defense of sea frontiers, said Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh, head of the Pakistan Navy Mission in China, who attended the commissioning ceremony as chief guest.
He praised the concerted efforts made by the Chinese shipbuilding industry and the PLA Navy for the landmark achievement of prompt delivery of the well-equipped and potent frigate.
It was also highlighted in the ceremony that China and Pakistan are cognizant of the changing geopolitical environment and are taking effective measures to deal with the added responsibilities and evolving challenges together, and that friendship between the two countries is a pillar of peace and stability in the region, the press release said.
When the Pakistan Navy inducted the first Type 054A/P frigate, the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi said that the Type 054A/Ps will not only serve to reinforce the security architecture of Pakistan’s maritime zones across the country’s maritime border, but also help safeguard the sea routes of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, the Pakistani Chief of the Naval Staff, said at the time that the Pakistan Navy’s responsibilities have grown manyfold since the inception of the CPEC and the development of its associated maritime infrastructure and Gwadar Port.
